The present disclosure relates to polycarbonate compositions that have increased flame retardance. Generally, the compositions include a polycarbonate polymer that has ester side groups, and also include a flame retardant additive.
Polycarbonates (PC) are thermoplastic resins with many desirable properties, but are not inherently non-flammable. The UL 94 V0/V1 flammability test includes both short flame out times and no dripping of flaming particles as pass/fail requirements. Polycarbonates tend to drip when exposed to a flame, and this behavior worsens as the wall thickness decreases. Anti-drip technology is usually required when the samples being tested are thin gauge and/or are prepared from resins with a high melt volume rate (MVR). The market is also moving towards articles having thin walls for purposes of slimness, weight reduction, and size reduction of the overall final product, as well as more complex designs.
It would be desirable to provide polycarbonate compositions that have improved performance, transparency, and high flow, and have high flame retardance even in thin-wall applications. Desirable features of such materials include excellent physical and optical properties, aging performance, and an adequate processing window.